U.s. Busts Fleeing Bhagwan Indian Guru Charged With Immigration Fraud

RAJNEESHPURAM, ORE — Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was ordered held Monday in North Carolina on immigration fraud charges that could bring him up to 175 years in jail and a $350,000 fine.

West German police arrested his former secretary, Ma Sheela Anand, and two other former disciples on charges that include attempted murder.

The arrest of Sheela and the two other women in Waldshut, Germany, apparently on a U.S. extradition request, came almost simultaneously with the unsealing of a 35-count federal indictment in Portland against her, the Bhagwan, and six other present or former followers.

Four of those named in the fraud indictment surrendered in Portland, Ore.

Meanwhile, the Bhagwan and eight disciples were arrested in Charlotte, N.C., early Monday after flying there from Rajneeshpuram, which they left Sunday afternoon. Federal officials said they were trying to flee to Bermuda aboard two rented Learjets and had stopped in Charlotte to refuel.

The Bhagwan was charged with making false statements, ordering others to make false statements and concealing his intent to remain in the U.S. He originally entered the country for medical treatment, and later sought a visa as a religious teacher.

Each of the 35 charges carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, said a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Portland. U.S. Magistrate Barbara DeLaney set a bond hearing for Thursday.

The cult moved to Antelope, a small town in Oregon, from Poona, India, in 1981 and turned the town into a commune based on a philosophy of what its followers, mostly Americans and Europeans, described as a blend of Eastern mysticism and Western psychology. Rajneesh, 54, also advocated free love.

Rajneesh, wearing a turban and a silver robe with stars, complained of having to sleep on a steel bench in jail and demanded a pillow. Defense lawyer Swami Prem argued that Rajneesh's health is so frail he needs ''almost a bubble boy-type environment.''

''I have been sickened the whole night,'' Rajneesh said. ''I cannot sleep on that bench. I cannot eat anything that they can give.'' Rajneesh was issued a standard jail uniform and spent the night in a cell with three other inmates. Delaney ordered federal marshals to give the guru a pillow, an extra cotton blanket and vegetarian food rather than standard jail fare.

''They could kill him without realizing what they are doing, just by not giving him the medical surroundings he is used to,'' said Ma Prem Isabel, chief spokesman for the Rajneeshpuram chamber of commerce. In addition to a filtered, odorless environment, the Bhagwan prefers a room temperature of 53 degrees, she said.

U.S. marshals in Charlotte said that besides numerous pieces of luggage, and ''large amounts of cash,'' the Bhagwan had brought an orthopedically designed throne-like chair like the one he sits in while speaking to his followers.

Meanwhile, West German authorities arrested Sheela and the other two women to answer charges of attempted murder returned by a Wasco County, Ore., grand jury last Friday but sealed until their arrest, District Atty. Bernard Smith said.

The women were among several top leaders who left Rajneesh's central Oregon commune last month in a split with the guru, who accused them of trying to poison the water supply of a nearby community and turn his settlement into a concentration camp.

Sheela also was arrested on immigration charges.

In Rajneeshpuram, where airplanes taxied in and out of the town's airport Monday, news of the Bhagwan's imprisonment was greeted with sadness, seeming indifference, and confusion by the red, purple, and orange clad population of about 3,000.

Most who were questioned said they would stay at the commune despite the absence of the man to whom they had been drawn.

But several Rajneeshees expressed concern about the future of the troubled commune, which has seen two echelons of leadership depart within 90 days.

''People are walking around saying it's falling apart,'' said Ma Prem Loka, 19. ''Others are saying it couldn't, that they will stay here no matter what.''